The Trustpower TECT Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Te Kaha Medical Center just before 11.30 pm on Tuesday 16 January to meet a road ambulance who had a 15-year-old male on-board with a suspected spinal injury. The teen had been on a swing when the rope broke causing him to fall and land on his back.
He was flown to Whakatane Hospital for further assessment. The flight was conducted under the use of Night Vision Goggles.
Early that day, the rescue helicopter had been tasked for an emergency transfer of a 47-year-old woman at Tauranga Hospital who required immediate surgery for a brain haemorrhage.
The woman was flown on a rapid response flight to Waikato Hospital.